The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and can not constitute prior art.
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are generally released into the water by a supply ship before carrying out a mission and after the end of the mission the underwater vehicle is salvaged again by the supply ship.
Different versions are produced of such a known underwater vehicle configured as an AUV. A “combat version” is detonated during or after the mission and thus does not have to be salvaged. A so-called “inspection version” and a so-called “training version” are salvaged in different ways. The inspection version of the underwater vehicle is collected by means of a net, lifted out of the water by means of a crane and moved to the deck of the supply ship. To this end, the underwater vehicle has to be maneuvered into the immediate vicinity of the supply ship which involves the risk of a collision with the supply ship and thus the risk of damage to the underwater vehicle, in particular in the event of rough seas and/or high winds.
An apparatus for salvaging a device floating on the water surface, such as for example an underwater vehicle, is disclosed in DE 195 44 656 C1, by which the risk of damage to the underwater vehicle during the salvaging operation is reduced, even in the case of rough seas. There are, however, situations such as, for example, low battery voltage, malfunctions and/or an accident to the underwater vehicle in which the underwater vehicle is not able to be automatically recovered by means of a net or a line. Even the training version of the underwater vehicle is, in principle, not able to be directly recovered by means of a net or a line by the supply ship, as the training version is similar to the combat version of the underwater vehicle and, therefore, in the manner of the combat version of the underwater vehicle, for safety reasons has a protective mechanism which is not able to be switched off, which prevents the underwater vehicle from approaching the supply ship below a minimum distance.
In all of these cases in which the underwater vehicle is not able to be directly salvaged by the supply ship by means of a net or by means of a line, an inflatable boat with a crew is generally released into the water, the crew manually collects the underwater vehicle and brings the underwater vehicle together with the inflatable boat back on board the supply ship. The salvaging of the underwater vehicle by means of an inflatable boat is, however, in many respects a dangerous undertaking, in particular in rough seas, in high winds and/or in cold weather. For example, a collision of the underwater vehicle with the inflatable boat can lead to damage of the underwater vehicle, damage of the inflatable boat, capsizing of the inflatable boat and injury of the crew.